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墨書 Inktalez
Cheng Ge would never have imagined that she had walked into one of the most dangerous areas of the desert—the quicksand pit.
When she realized she was in danger, the sinking sand had already irreversibly engulfed her waist. Her face was etched with terror, her eyes wide open, and her hands instinctively flailed in the air, trying to grasp something.
The earth, like a slumbering beast, was awakened by Elida's cries. It opened its gaping maw leading to death and began to swallow mercilessly. The others rushed to a spot five meters away from Cheng Ge, horrified to find that the quicksand had already buried her up to her chest.
Elida struggled to calm herself as she shouted for everyone to lie down while inching closer to Cheng Ge. Cheng Ge was in a state of panic; she felt as if everything below her chest was trapped in the quicksand, immense pressure constricting her chest, rendering her unable to make a sound. Blood surged to her head, causing her eyes to bulge as she could only look desperately at Elida, who was slowly approaching. Her gaze clearly conveyed one plea: Save me!
However, it was too late.
When Elida finally grasped her hand, the sand had already covered Cheng Ge's mouth.
Elida hesitated for a moment, filled with anguish and helplessness. Ultimately, she had to accept the cruel reality that she could no longer pull Cheng Ge out. Slowly, she released Cheng Ge's hand and quickly crawled out of the danger zone affected by the quicksand.
The four stood not far away, watching helplessly as Cheng Ge's desperate arm gradually disappeared into the sand. They held their breath, filled with sorrow and fear.
Lin Luo was overwhelmed with sadness, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't even know what she was truly afraid of—how many more disasters could there be?
One by one, their group members were dying in bizarre ways. Who would be next? Was this Sea of Death truly punishing those who intruded? When would disaster strike them?
"Let's go. We only have thirty kilometers left to Loulan. We should be able to get out by the day after tomorrow at the latest. Once this journey is over, we can properly remember our companions," Mo Nan said coldly, devoid of any emotion, as if everything that had just happened was unrelated to him.
Suddenly, Elida charged at Mo Nan, grabbing him fiercely by the shoulders and swinging her fists like an enraged beast as they began to grapple with each other.
He shouted angrily as he fought, "Why?! Why are you doing this?! Don't you know there are quicksands in that forest? Why would you let that girl go alone?!"
Mo Bei and Lin Luo rushed forward, straining to pull the two apart.
Lin Luo cried out in despair, "Stop fighting! It's already like this; what good will more fighting do? Save your strength!"
Mo Nan stood up, brushed the sand off his clothes, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said coldly, "I haven't been here for too long; I thought the quicksand had shifted. I'm sorry, I really forgot."
In this forbidden zone of life, death seemed to trigger an uncontrollable chain reaction.
Out of seven, only four remained. The group continued cautiously. Food and water were running low. On the eighth day of their journey, they were nearing the northwestern edge of Lop Nur, approaching Loulan Ancient City.
Everyone wore grave expressions. Elida repeatedly lamented that agreeing to come on this trip was the biggest mistake of his life.
Mo Bei silently opened a can of beef, carefully pouring the broth into a cup and handing it to Lin Luo. He softly said, "Drink the broth."
Water was their most pressing need; the food crisis was relatively less severe.
Lin Luo looked at the warm, fishy broth without hesitation and swallowed it eagerly, even leaving a sip behind for Mo Bei to moisten his throat.
As she gazed at the one she loved, warmth surged within her heart, feeling that this might be the best explanation for mutual support in times of hardship.
As they stepped onto the feather-like sands of the desert, Mo Nan said with a sense of relief, "We’ll soon reach Loulan. Let’s pick up the pace and try to get there before dark. We can rest for a night before heading north where we’ll find signs of life."
Lin Luo followed closely behind Mo Bei, intending to point out the earthen watchtower at the edge of Loulan Ancient City. Suddenly, Mo Nan, who was at the back of the group, panicked and started to run wildly, shouting, "Quick! Run forward to that watchtower! The hot wind and sandstorm are coming! I can't believe it's October and we're facing this kind of weather!"
Pulled by Mo Bei, Lin Luo ran for her life. Confusion filled her mind as she couldn't understand how powerful the hot wind and sandstorm could be to make Mo Nan—who had grown up knowing the desert like the back of his hand—panic as if doomsday were approaching.
Mo Bei held onto Lin Luo tightly, sprinting ahead without looking back. Unable to resist, Lin Luo glanced over her shoulder to see what danger was approaching, but in that first moment of seeing it, her legs began to tremble in fear.
Anyone who had witnessed a tsunami would surely think this was a similar event; instead of rising sea water, it was a raging tide of yellow sand soaring into the sky.
The desert seemed to rise up under some enormous destructive force, forming a massive yellow wall in the distance that advanced toward them with incredible speed.
The fierce wind swept away everything that could be blown about, and in an instant, the world turned dark. All that remained visible was a rough and surging expanse of yellow.
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